


i can practice 'til i find my voice

by inkk



Series: alphabet AU challenge [5]
Category: Bandom, Fall Out Boy
Genre: Established Relationship, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-04
Updated: 2015-09-04
Packaged: 2018-04-18 20:13:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4719005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkk/pseuds/inkk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>E</b> is for <b>Emergency Room</b>.</p><p>(In which there is a car accident at night and a waiting room in the morning.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	i can practice 'til i find my voice

**Author's Note:**

> i was going to make this one H for Hospital??? but then i got impatient (no pun intended) and decided to post it next instead.
> 
> title comes from the song 'Emergency' by James Arthur.
> 
> enjoy! :)

+

Patrick doesn't really remember much between the hours of 10:13pm and 1:26am.

It's all a blur, really; the phone rang as he was in the midst of brushing his teeth and wondering when Pete was going to get home. He remembers muttering a grumpy "Hello?" and hearing Brendon's panicked voice in reply, stumbling over the frantic words of "Oh, fuck, Patrick, there was an accident, they're taking him away to the hospital now--"

After that, there was only a dull ringing in his ears as he threw a jacket on over his pyjamas and grabbed the first set of shoes he could find, fingers fumbling on the laces before eventually giving up and rushing out of the apartment with them untied. He vaguely recalls a waving desperately for a cab and then winding up in the emergency waiting room with a nurse telling him that he needs to please calm down, sir, he's still in surgery. We'll update you as soon as we have news.

Now, he's been sitting in the same uncomfortable chair beside a guy wearing scrubs for the past two hours, looking up at the tile ceiling and trying not to cry as the time ticks by in torturously slow increments. He feels utterly useless.

After a few more minutes of this, the guy finally leans over and asks, "What's up, dude?"

He has an impressive head of hair and understanding brown eyes, but Patrick still wants to scream at his idiotic question - nonetheless, he restrains himself to a curt, quiet "My boyfriend got into a car accident."

The guy nods. "I'm really sorry," he says, and he sounds like he is. "Name's Joe, by the way. Joe Trohman. I'm a patient here."

"Do you normally hang out in the ER in your free time?" Patrick asks, adding a brittle attempt at a grin that feels more like a grimace on his face. (Anything to keep his mind off how Pete might be dying at this very second.)

"Only when someone needs me," Joe replies cryptically. He confidently adds, "I'm pretty sure Pete's going to pull through on this one, though."

Patrick twists his fists in his lap. "Don't say things you can't promise," he grits out. Joe laughs, and he snaps. "This isn't fucking _funny_ , okay?! My boyfriend might be dying this very second!" he fumes. "Fuck. We were going to get married, you know that? _Married_ ," he repeats, feeling lightheaded and sick to his stomach.

Joe reaches over to rest a gentle hand on his forearm. "Just relax," he says, "I know it's hard, but you need to calm yourself down. A doctor should be dropping by any minute to let you know what's happening."

"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" Patrick growls, practically jerking away. "You're really not helping. What the fuck do you know about any of this, anyways?"

Joe shrugs and shoots him a sad smile. "I mean, I only had to stand by and watch as my four-year old daughter and wife were wheeled through here on bloody gurneys, so. I think I know what I'm talking about." 

Patrick pauses and then deflates, roughly scrubbing a hand over his face. "Oh, god," he says eventually. "God, I'm so sorry. I'm just fucking exhausted and I need to see Pete and..." he trails off with a sigh. "Fuck. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, dude," Joe reassures him. "I've been here for a long time now, and I've pretty much seen it all." Gentler, he says, "There's nothing you can do for Pete right now, so just try and relax as best as you can."

"Yeah," Patrick exhales, willing the tension to drain from his muscles. "Okay, yeah. Good idea. Thanks, man."

Just then, an official-looking man with a red beard dressed in a white coat steps into the room. "Mr... Stump?" he calls, looking down at his clipboard. "May I have a word?"

Patrick glances over at Joe - who gives him a thumbs up and mouths _"This is it!"_ \- and gets to his feet. "Uh, yeah? I mean yes, that's me."

"Great. If you could just come with me for a moment?" the doctor asks in a soft voice, smiling slightly.

Patrick's heart beats a mile a minute as he follows the man through a set of doors and into a hallway. _He wouldn't be smiling if Pete was dead, would he? Or, oh god, maybe he's just trying to let me down gently--_

"I'm Doctor Hurley," the man introduces himself, holding out a hand for Patrick to shake. "I've been assigned to your partner's case."

"Oh," Patrick says dumbly. "Is he--?"

Dr. Hurley gives him another odd smile. "He's alive, if that's what you mean," he says, "The surgery went quickly, and exceedingly well. We expect his body should end up making a full recovery in as little as two to four months. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until he wakes up to find out the full extent of any injuries his brain happened to have sustained during the accident."

"Oh," Patrick repeats. "That's good news, though, right? He's okay?" _Please, just tell me he's okay._

Dr. Hurley nods. "Physically, he should be. We're still not completely certain of his mental state, but the head wounds he acquired appear to be rather minimal. He'll be kept in the intensive care unit under close supervision for at least tonight and maybe tomorrow. Beyond that, we'll have to wait and see."

Patrick nods. "Okay," he grins, "Okay. When do you think I can go and see him?"

"Probably within the next few hours," Dr. Hurley guesses, "I can have a nurse page you when it's time, if you like."

"Yes, please," Patrick says. "And thank you so much, Doctor Hurley."

"No problem. I wish your partner the quickest recovery possible," he smiles back, tucking his clipboard under his arm before turning to walk down the hall.

Patrick's heart is singing as he pushes back into the stuffy little waiting room. _Pete's alive! Pete's alive, he's okay, he's going to make it!_

Joe is nowhere to be found, though. He asks the receptionist and three nurses about him, receiving only the same expression of puzzlement from each one.

"I don't know any current patients with the last name Trohman," the desk nurse tells him uncertainly, "But I can look him up in our records, if you like?"

"Yeah, please. I kind of owe him big-time."

After a few moments of typing and clicking around, the nurse glances up at him with a frown and then back down to the screen. "I have files for an Andrea Trohman and a Ruby Trohman," she says slowly, "But as far as I can tell, the only Joe Trohman we've ever had was a cancer patient who passed away in 2006."

_("I've been here for a long time now.")_

"Alright," Patrick says after a minute, "Um. I must be confused, or something. Thank you for your time."

As Patrick wanders through the maze of hallways, he stops to think.

Try as he might, he can't remember ever telling Joe his boyfriend's name.

 

+

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!  
> any comments and/or kudos you feel like leaving are super appreciated :)


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